


Alive

by orphan_account



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Friendship, Identity, M/M, Romance, break ups
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-12
Updated: 2013-11-12
Packaged: 2018-01-01 06:58:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1041781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Annabeth and Percy's relationship runs it's course, and Percy feels dead inside, everything he wanted for the future has crumbled. But can one certain son of the God of the Underworld pick him up off his feet and make him feel something he thought he'd never feel again? Set Post-Blood of Olympus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alive

**Author's Note:**

> Percy is Seventeen/Eighteen (Birthday is August 18th, but the timeline says the events of Son of Neptune to House of Hades happen in 2010 so this novel is set in 2011) and Nico is Fifteen (he has no official birthday except for the fact that he is three years younger than Percy, I assume his birthday is prior to August as in House of Hades Percy was sixteen turning Seventeen on August 18th). I'm really bad with ages/years so please don't get mad if I mess something up.

Arise

It had almost been a year since the Seven defeated Gaea. Today was the anniversary of the day Annabeth and Percy closed the Doors of Death. Percy and Annabeth were sharing a hot chocolate in New Rome, relaxing as Leo shouted directions at legionnaires and Half Bloods a like. Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly, depending on how you looked at it, Leo and Annabeth had been tasked to work together on rebuilding Camp Half Blood and Camp Jupiter, Annabeth doing architecture and Leo building it all. Annabeth was extremely busy especially since Leo took a month off to rescue his girlfriend Calypso, and she had to work double time. Today was one of the few days Percy got to spend time with her, but ever since they ordered, things were... dare he think it? Awkward. To think the couple that survived Tartarus together were having difficulties.

    Finally, Annabeth spoke. “Percy you've been through so much, you've been to hell and back, literally, and when you and Nico almost got sacrificed in Athens...” Percy grimaced, Nico had showed up just in time for the final showdown, and he and Percy were only inches away from death when Nico looked at him, a look he'd never forget, a mix of love and fear in his eyes, he was crying, Percy never thought he'd see the Ghost King so afraid. “You were such a Hero Percy. And I love you, I'm so proud to be your friend.” The word hang in the air, laced with premise. “But I think that's what we need to be, friends.” She sighed, “You were my only warmth and hope in Tartarus, but now you are the only thing linking me back to that place. I still get vivid nightmares about it, and I can't speak about it. Just telling Piper, Leo, Hazel, and them was too much. Being with you is a double edged sword, Jackson.” She hadn't called him that in a while, not since before they got together. “I love you and I'd never want to hurt you, but it seems doing this is the only way for me to stop hurting.” She reached across the table to take hold of his hand, but he pulled it away. “I'm so sorry.” She whispered.

    Percy got up and walked out, he knew he should've stayed and fought for her, but it all was too overwhelming. He kept walking, ignoring Annabeth's pleas for him to come back, he blocked out Leo yelling directions about the New Forum, he blocked out everything. His whole world was crashing down, the future he planned for him and Annabeth, the only future he thought about. All they had been through together and he couldn't be with her without hurting her. He couldn't help but blame himself.

     He stuffed his hands into his pockets and stared at the ground, not even watching where he was going. He loved her so much, more than he had ever loved anyone before. He felt like his chest had caved in, he felt like he was going to throw up and simultaneously burst into tears. Even the Godess of Misery hadn't made him feel despair this strongly. All he wanted to do was run to his bunk and crawl under the covers and fall asleep until he felt better, but the next thing he knew he had slammed into someone.

    "Ach!" Percy looked up to see Jason with Nico in to. Which wasn't surprising as ever since Athens, Nico and Jason had been friends. Jason even made a big scene when Nico tried to go back to the underworld, so now Nico just sort of-- hung around.

    "Sorry." He mumbled.

    "Why so glum, chum?" Jason asked, his voice filled with concern, though Percy could tell some of it was from politeness and Jason's general courtesy for others, "I thought you and Annabeth were-" Percy burst into tears, something he never did. Jason jumped back in surprise.

    Nico took a step forward, and hesitantly spoke, "What happened?"

    Percy drew a sharp breath in and wiped away a tear, "Annabeth... she- she broke up with me."

    Nico's eyes widened, Jason gasped, neither of them ever thought that the day Annabeth and Percy ended it would ever come.

    "Oh my gods, that's awful." Jason wrapped an arm around Percy's shoulders and guided him over to the nearest bench to sit down. Nico lingered above them, standing next to Percy solemnly.

    Percy buried his face in his hands, "She said she loves me but being with me only reminds her of Tartarus and it hurts." He sobbed.

    Jason was searching for some words of comfort when Nico spoke, "Percy, it's not your fault. Tartarus is beyond scary, it hurts any mortal, it was just too much for her. But Percy, it's not your fault." Nico reached forward and put a hand on his shoulder, so carefully it was as if he was afraid Percy might break.

    "Dude," Jason began, "You are one of the bravest and strongest demigods I know. You can make it through this, I believe that. And in the mean time, we're here, children of the Big Three should stick together."

    Percy forced a smile at Nico and Jason, "Thank you both. I'll keep that in mind. Right now I'd prefer to be left alone." Percy pulled away from Jason's arm and walked back to his bunk in the Fifth Cohort. 

    A week later a knock came on Percy's door that woke him up. Percy grunted, still half asleep. Whoever knocked took this as a response and opened the door. Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, and Nico entered, each bearing a type of blue food. Percy rubbed his eyes and rolled out of bed, then he realized that he was in nothing but boxers. Piper bit her lip and looked away, Hazel pretended the ceiling was interesting, Nico blushed, and Jason quickly tossed him a shirt and shorts. Frank just sort of stood there and shrugged, like no biggie.

   "What time is it?" Percy asked as he pulled the shirt over his head.

    "Two PM." Frank answered, "You've been asleep this whole time?"

    "Yeah, I guess?" He didn't really know what they expected.

    "We've mised you, you've only showed up at meals, and even that is only for a few minutes." Piper said sheepishly.

    Hazel stood there for a moment and then ran up and hugged him, the box of blue Goldfish crackers she had hit him in the head. "I'm so sorry Percy."

    Percy pulled away, "Yeah." it was all he could manage.

    "Leo told me to tell you he's sorry he couldn't make it and that girls are completely unpredictable, actually the word he originally used was crazy but Calypso didn't like that so he quickly reworded it." Hazel offered him the box and everyone took this as a sign to bring forth their food.

    Frank had a giant blue cupcake, Piper had brought Blueberries, Jason had blue ice cream, and Nico had brought a bag which Percy could smell that it contained a Blue fish burger and fries, his favourite. "Thanks, this is nice of you all." his arms were piled high with the boxes and bags. He placed them on his bed.

    "Don't take this as an invitation to keep yourself in isolation." Jason said sincerely. "I have a date with this girl," he gestured to Piper, "but feel free to steal me away if you need anything." Piper shot a look at him but he quickly turned and walked out hand in hand with her.

    Hazel blushed and looked down, "Frank and I have training, but I'll stop by later." She pecked his cheek and gave a look to Nico that Percy couldn't decipher, something that seemed like it was urging Nico to stay behind. She intertwined her fingers with Frank's and disappeared the same way Piper and Jason did.

    Nico lingered by the door way, shifting his weight uncomfotably. "Chicks man." While Reyna, Piper, Jason, Frank, and Hazel were aware of his orientation, Hazel being particularly shocked (40's kid), Percy still had no idea. But Nico wanted to comfort him, so anything would do. Percy looked awful, though Nico was sure he looked worse many times, it was so un-Percy like. Even when Percy was gaunt and dirty as he was a year ago in the Ancient Lands, he still radiated hope and heroism.

    Percy scratched his bed head hair and took a seat on his bunk, "Totally," he paused, "If you want to leave, I get it. You don't need to stay just because Hazel made you."

    Nico rolled his eyes, Hazel was the only person other than Jason who knew about Nico's crush, as she forced what happened in Split out eventually. She took sometime to adjust, but he was her brother and she didn't agree with everything or really anything that the nuns at St. Agnes said. She ended up making it her personal responsibility to be his wingman, to Nico's annoyance, she even succeeded in setting him up with a guy from the Apollo cabin, but it obviously didn't work out. "No, she didn't make me at all." He sounded too earnest, so he tried to relax himself, "Y-you know if you want to talk about Tartarus or anything, I'm here. I still have nightmares but it's not so fresh."

    Percy smiled in thanks. Nico was the first one he told about Tartarus and the only one he told. It was too horrific to relive it when the time came to tell the rest, so he had Annabeth tell them. Which he know knew was a mistake.

    Nico leaned against he door and looked at his feet.

    "Nico..." Nico's head jerked up, "I always admired that you made it through alone, you're the bravest demigod I know."

    Nico's eyes widened, he slowly made his way over to Percy and took a seat next to him, "I've always considered you the bravest, you know."

    He shrugged, his dark hair fell infront of the sea green eyes Nico loved, "Thanks, but I dunno, you've always seemed so brave and strng to me, considering everything you've been through. I'm sorry if I treated you badly." Percy thought about how Nico was trapped in a jar, had to travel Tartarus, and had his sister die all within a few years, all this he went through alone, something the most demigods didn't have to do.

    At that, Nico smiled. Percy wondered how long it had been since he had seen the Son of Hades happy.

 

* * *

    Percy and Nico sat on the floor of the Fifth Cohort, the noon sunlight invading through a crack in the curtains, entering at such an angle that it made dust particles dance and anyone in it's path grow very warm. It had been a month since Annabeth and Percy ended it. Percy's birthday had came and went, it was small and mostly unnoticed, as Percy's best friend Grover was away and everyone was really busy trying to restore the camps. Percy was still quite shaken about it, but having Nico by his side was nice.

    Percy and Nico were playing Mythomagic, as Frank made Nico dig out his old deck just because it was something the two had in common. And as soon as Percy found out he coaxed Nico into playing a game. Nico was embarassed at how frayed and bent the cards were, but Percy just said it meant they were well loved.

    Nico had just crushed Percy in their first game when he put down his cards and took a deep breath. "Percy, I have something to tell you."

    He looked up, his soft eyes filled with concern.

    "I-I'm." Nico's voice broke, he wasn't sure if he was ready, but he'd already set up the scene and he could tell Percy was full of anticipation, "I'm g-g-gay."

    Percy bit his lip and thought for a while as Nico held his breath. "I'm glad you told me. It's nice to know you trust me, I'm here for you, you know that, right? No matter what." He smiled at him but it quickly faded  as he looked down and sighed as if he had a confession of his own. "It was never really important as I was with--" Percy voice dropped. "Annabeth." He took a deep breath, "But I am pretty sure-- well as certain as you can be, that I am Bi?  I mean I'm not going to lie like I've checked out dudes before and like admittedly I spent a lot of my relationship thinking about who I am." Percy started to talk fast and ramble about various moments, it was evident that he was nervous. "And like I've never really talked about it with anyone." He finished.

   Nico's mind was racing, he never ever even considered that that was a possibility. "Thanks for trusting me too." He gave a half smile, even though on the inside he was beaming. Something he never thought was possbile started to seem as if it was arms reach.

 

    About half way during their third game, Nico still completely pumbling Percy to dust, Percy started to get distracted, he even tried to get Poseidon to use Zeus' master bolt.

    "Hey, Percy?"

    Percy's head jerked up, "Yeah, what's up?"

    "What's on your mind?" Nico pondered quietly, hoping to find out what the brunette was so distracted by.

   "Uh, I-- I'm just curious I guess. Have you had your first kiss?" Percy said this in a descendo, the last word was barely audible, but somehow it seemed loud in Nico's ears.

   "No. I mean I've been on a date with this Apollo guy named Rick but he said I was depressing and that uh I made things awkward. So that sort of lead no where." He tried to say this with a deadpan face, but butterflies were overtaking in his stomach, and he could feel himself grow increasingly anxious.

   Percy nodded slowly. "I know this is cliché but..." He carried off, comtemplating if he should say what he wanted to say next.

   Nico swallowed, he wanted to scream at Percy 'WHAT WHAT IS SO CLICHÉ?!?!' But he suppressed the urge.

   "I want your first kiss to be with someone who well, doesn't suck eggs." Percy chuckled but it was awkward and forced.

   "What exactly are you proposing?" Nico's imagination was running wild, was Percy proposing that the two should kiss? He couldn't, could he?

   "Well... it is okay if I-if I give you your first, you know?" Percy wasn't doing a good job at hiding how nervous he felt.

   Nico's eyes widened, did he really just say that? He didn't want to seem too excited or eager, but he didn't want to seem too unenthusiastic.  _Oh gods, what the fuck am I supposed to do. Oh Hades help me._ "Uh-uh- sure." Nico stumbled over that simple sentence.

    Percy placed his cards down and scooted over to Nico. He placed a hand under Nico's chin and lifted his head up slightly so that he could lean in and place his lips on Nico's. With both lips slightly parted, they made contact. Nico tasted salt on Percy's lips and smiled to himself, of course the Son of Poseidon's lips would be like salt water. He relished the kiss, Percy was soft and tender, not too much pressure, just perfect. Nico kissed back, but he was so soft and slight that he wondered if Percy noticed the reciprocation at all.

   Percy pulled away, and smiled at Nico. "Not bad for a first time." Inside Percy didn't know how to process it, he wasn't exactly sure how he felt, Nico coming out planted ideas in Percy's mind, but Percy always thought that kissing Nico would be a friendly thing. But now... he felt something, something he wasn't sure how to interept. He didn't expect to feel something, something so genuine, after only a month away from Annabeth. All he was certain of was that Nico tasted like Black licorice, the strong kind that twizzlers didn't sell, and smelled like a camp fire, comforting but something that created a sort of longing for more.

   "Yeah." Nico breathed. The taste of Percy's lips lingered on his own. It all seemed so surreal and amazing, like a dream, though Nico was certain it wasn't a dream as he hadn't dream in years. He wanted to grabs Percy's face and kiss him again, crush his lips against his own and run his fingers through his hair, but he didn't want to do that. Percy's kiss was probably just charity, he didn't know he was fucking around with the boy's feelings. Nico got up and ran out of the bunker, running away from his feelings just as he did years ago.

    Percy stared at the Mythomagic cards. The Poseidon one was slightly charred, but he knew Leo had never played with Nico so he wondered where it came from. He took a deep breath and tried to supress what he was feeling. He didn't want Nico to think he was rebound, hell he didn't even know if Nico liked him like that. He was so overwhelmed and confused. He loved Annabeth and was just dealing with deserting the feelings that were inside of him for so long. Now Nico ignited something inside of him, something he thought had left with Annabeth. He felt alive after feeling dead for a month. How ironic it was that the Son of Hades made him feel alive.

* * *

 

   It had been a week since Percy and Nico's kiss, Nico had been avoiding Percy even though Percy had no idea why. He assumed that he had been too forceful or he had made Nico feel like it was a charity kiss or something, which it wasn't. He finally found the boy sitting on Hazel's top bunk in the Fifth Cohort, almost like he wanted Percy to find him. Percy climbed up and sat next to him, their hands touched but Nico pulled his away. 

   "I'm sorry." Nico  looked down and ran his fingers through his hair. Unsure of what to say after their kiss the week before, unsure if he was going to do something stupid. Hades, he knew he was going to something stupid. He decided was going to admit the one thing he never planned to ever tell the demigod. "Percy, I enjoyed our kiss truthfully. I just-- I can't kiss you without freaking out. Because ever since I was eleven I've had-I've had a crush on you."  _More than a crush, he was freaking in love with the boy._

   Percy's eyes widened, and he blinked rapidly as he tried to process everything that had come out of his mouth. He couldn't say he was disappointed, or any negative emotion. If anything he felt happy but also shocked and confused. "Uh... wow."

    "That's all you have to say!" Nico yelled as he threw his arms up in the air. He jumped off the bed and turned around to walk out.

    "N-no!" Percy got up and grabbed Nico's arm, who jerked around to face him. Percy looked him up and down, unsure of what to say. His mind was racing and he had one instict. He grabbed the sides of Nico's face and kissed him passionately. This time, Nico kissed back eagerly, with all the love he had contained for years. Percy opened his mouth, and Nico did the same. They started to kiss the way you would only do if you were alone, like teenagers in a car at kissing point in a movie, the ones that were oblivious to the killer behind them.

   It seemed like ages when Nico pulled away, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." He breathed and then quickly went back to kissing Percy.

   Percy ran his fingers through the boy's black hair, it was smooth and soft, freshly washed. He wished he could say the same about his own, self care hadn't been his highest priority ever since the break up. Nico's arms wrapped around Percy's neck, holding the two them close, their bodies pressing against eachother. Percy smiled through the kiss, finally feeling certain about something he was so afraid of. In between a break for air, Percy quietly whispered, "You're amazing." Nico grinned and pushed him up against the wall of the bunker. 

* * *

 

Nico and Percy held hands under the table during meals, they cuddled up by the lake, and they spent a lot of time making out, in public, in private, as long as Octavian wasn't around. Jason Grace actually grinned wider than a child on Christmas when he walked in on Percy and Nico cuddling up one day in the Fifth Cohort, partially because it was fantastic to see both Nico and Percy so happy, partially because he always thought the two of them would be cute ever since meeting Cupid. Annabeth sort of looked absolutely bewildered when she witnessed a peck between the two before a game on the Field of Mars and then walked away. The others had a mix of reactions, Hazel squealed and hugged them. Leo checked if he had inhaled any strange fumes and then went, "Since when was this going on? I miss so much around here, I swear". Both Frank and Piper seemed rather indifferent. But neither Nico or Percy cared what the others thought, they had each other, and they both felt so alive and so happy that that was all that mattered.


End file.
